THOUGH we still don’t know officially why John Hardie has been suspended from Edinburgh Rugby and the Scotland national squad, it is clear that the ingestion of chemicals is involved in the allegations which, it should be noted, have not yet been proven.
We do know exactly why Magnus Bradbury was stripped of the captaincy of Edinburgh Rugby yesterday – he suffered a head injury during a night out and missed the match against London Irish as a result.
Bradbury has made a fool of himself and has paid a high price. In the case of Hardie, a swift inquiry and outcome must take place and if, I stress if, any illegality has occurred, then the police must be informed.
The Rucker is a huge admirer of both players, but that admiration has now waned in Bradbury’s case, and like many Edinburgh fans, I must accuse Bradbury of pig-headedness.
In Hardie’s case, he is innocent until proven guilty, but it is concerning that he faces such serious allegations .
This may not come as a surprise to regular readers, but The Rucker is aware of many, many off-the-field transgressions by rugby players dating back 40 years, and was even involved in a few himself.
Back in the day, the game was amateur and overindulgence in alcohol and recreational drugs was not a hanging offence – the former was almost obligatory. The most that could happen to you in an era where drugs tests were unheard of was being dropped, and that was mostly for missing training.
Nowadays, however, the scene is entirely different. We have young men earning considerable sums of money to play rugby and the vast majority are disciplined and dedicated to their sport.
Yet a few have let themselves and their clubs down, and I’m sorry to say it, but that is just unacceptable in the professional era.
I’m not saying all players should be ascetic saints – far from it, as the spirit of rugby is about companionship and being able to have a post-match beer with your opponents.
Some might also think that what has happened is an overreaction on the part of the SRU, and make no mistake, it is the head honchos at Murrayfield who are calling the shots on both Bradbury and Hardie. They are, after all, the paymasters for both men.
The argument has been made in some quarters that the two players should be given a kick up the backside but then be allowed to carry on playing for Edinburgh and Scotland as the national cause needs them.
Sorry, but the Rucker is too long in the tooth and has had too many involvements in personnel issues over the years to call it other than this – the SRU has acted correctly in both cases, and was damned if it did, and even more damned if it didn’t.
Both will not feature in the Autumn Tests, which is a considerable punishment as both would almost certainly have added to their cap tally.
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